The rate of invasive pneumococcal disease in children plummeted by 72% from 2002 to 2021; health care spending in the United States rose 4.1% in 2022 to $4.5 trillion; roughly two-thirds of Americans who have a mental health condition were unable to access treatment in 2021 despite having health insurance.
Pneumococcal Disease in Children Plunges Post Vaccine Rollout
A Yale University–led team found the rate of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children plummeted from 2002 to 2021 and continued to decline after development of a new vaccine, according to CIDRAP. The study published in Pediatrics analyzed data on IPD among children younger than 18 years from a Massachusetts surveillance system. Among the study population, 1347 IPD cases were identified; rates of IPD in children fell 72% (incidence rate ratio, 0.28) and continued to decline after the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate (PCV7) vaccine was replaced by the 13-valent version (PCV13) (incidence rate ratio, 0.25 in the late PCV7 vs the late PCV13 era). During the COVID-19 pandemic years (2020-2021), the researchers noted that IPD incidence declined to a low of 1.6 per 100,000 children.
US Health Care Spending Rose in 2022
Federal data presented on Wednesday show that health care spending in the United States rose 4.1% in 2022 to $4.5 trillion, according to Reuters. Health care spending surged by 10.6% in 2020 and then dramatically declined to 3.2% in 2021. CMS explained that this year’s growth rate indicated a return to prepandemic patterns, as it was more consistent with the average annual growth rate of 4.4% between 2016 and 2019. CMS data correlated the growth in 2022 to spending on Medicaid and private health insurance, as the insured share of the population surged to 92%, a historic high; the number of uninsured individuals declined for the third straight year, from 28.5 million in 2021 to 26.6 million in 2022.
US Mental Health Treatment Access Is Poor, Report Says
A report released Wednesday by actuary firm Milliman found that roughly two-thirds of Americans with a daignosed mental health condition were unable to access treatment in 2021 despite having health insurance, according to NPR. The report also found that only one-third of insured people who visited an emergency department or hospital during a mental health crisis received follow-up care within a month of being discharged. Barriers to care included poor reimbursement rates for providers and a workforce shortage. Consequently, the report found that over half of the US population lives in areas deemed Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas, as the country has less than a third of the psychiatrists needed to meet provider shortages. To fix this issue, Milliman suggested expanding the use of telehealth and peer support specialists.
Dr Kathy Zackowski Discusses the Importance of Rehabilitation Research and Trials in MS
April 26th 2024Kathy Zackowski, PhD, National MS Society, expresses the inherent value of quality rehabilitation trials for broadening clinical understandings of multiple sclerosis (MS) and bettering patient outcomes.
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Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
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Kaiser Permanente was hit by a data breach in mid-April, impacting 13.4 million health plan members; GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) sued Pfizer and BioNTech for allegedly infringing on its messenger RNA technology patents in the companies’ COVID-19 vaccines; the CDC announced the first-known HIV cases transmitted via cosmetic injections.
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